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Idaho commission approves 2011 wolf hunting and trapping seasons

Hunting and trapping to commence this fall

SALMON, Idaho (07/28/2011) -

The Idaho Fish & Game Commission approved today a proposal allowing hunting throughout the state and trapping in five wolf management units. There will be no hunt quotas across a majority of hunting zones.

The following is a statement from Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies representative for Defenders of Wildlife:

“The plan approved today by Idaho is overly aggressive and seriously undermines the decades of hard work spent restoring wolves to Idaho. Under these guidelines, the fall wolf hunt could result in the loss of hundreds of wolves, potentially fragmenting the population and crippling the ecological function of wolves in their native habitat.

“Wolves have an important role to play in balancing prey species, but their ability to fulfill that role is seriously compromised if they are being snared or shot at for more than seven months of the year. Moreover, allowing potentially hundreds of wolves to be killed near border regions could significantly impair dispersal of wolves into Oregon and Washington, where populations are just starting to take hold. We encourage Idaho to closely monitor hunting and trapping of wolves this season to ensure that the role of wolves on the landscape is adequately maintained. Wolves are a critical part of keeping Idaho wild and should be treated as such.”

Bears die when they get into trouble with people’s garbage, livestock, when they are hit by cars and trains or illegally killed. By preventing these conflicts we can keep bears alive and on the road to recovery.